All things move towards their end, even seemingly omnipotent political leaders, and authoritarian systems are shaped by the question of succession long before the leader dies. Xi Jinping is 72 years old and the Chinese Communist Party has started to consider what comes next. Those conversations are shaping the political reality of the country.
On this episode of Angry Planet, Brown University professor Tyler Jost comes on the show to explain China is navigating what life may look like after Xi.
How succession shapes politics in an authoritarian system
How does China’s government actually work?
The path to the Chinese presidency
As always, it’s all about who you know
Princelings
Xi’s path to power
Corruption as influence
When the eye of the leader lands upon you
“Cyberpunk hellscape”
Some parting notes on American Maoism
After Xi—The Succession Question Obscuring China’s Future—and Unsettling Its Present
